September 1, 2016 Booklist 21 www.booklistonline.com
with a course on “Doglish” (i.e., dog body
language) and then moves on to personality
quizzes for both pets and owners. The test results place dogs into social groups (“Type A,”
“Party Animal,” “Laid-Back,” ’
Head-of-the-Class,” “Over-Thinker”) and owners into types
(“Comic, Relaxed,” “Comforting, Unsure”). A
handy table puts it all together, offering specific tips for each combination. Hodgson moves
on to the three secrets of a happy life: food,
play, and socialization. The author stresses that
even older dogs can learn simple commands
and good manners, and she details a five-step
plan to change behaviors using rewards rather
than discipline. The emphasis here is on learning through play, and Hodgson walks readers
through a series of brief, fun-filled lessons. Finally, the author tackles grooming and health
issues. Good dog owners, like good parents,
love unconditionally as they guide their charges. Hodgson’s book supplies the necessary tools
and encouragement. —Candace Smith

Child Care

Let Them Eat Dirt: Saving Your Child
from an Oversanitized World.

By B. Brett Finlay and Marie-Claire
Arrieta.

Sept. 2016. 288p. Algonquin, $26.95 (9781616206499).
649.

Scientists’ knowledge and understanding of
the human microbiota and the role it plays in
our health and well-being has grown significantly in recent years. Microbiologists Finley
and Arrieta, both of the University of British
Columbia, condense the research into an accessible overview of the role of microbes in
children’s health, refuting the common belief
that everything young children come into
contact with should be sterilized and sanitized
into submission. The development of the microbiota during birth and infancy is covered
in detail, as key (and life-altering) differences
in the microbiota of children have been found
based on birth and dietary choices. Scientists
are just beginning to understand the complex
relationship between microbes and conditions such as diabetes, asthma, allergies, and
obesity, and the authors describe cutting-edge
research in the field, giving readers an idea of
treatments that may be widely available in the
near future. The book provides practical suggestions for parents hoping to encourage the
development of a healthy microbiota in their
children (hint: antibacterial soap does more
harm than good, and the five-second rule can
be expanded as needed). —Nanette Donohue

Toughlove: Raising Confident, Kind,
Resilient Kids.

Ed. by Lisa Stiepock and others.

Oct. 2016. 400p. Simon & Schuster, paper, $16
(9781476733265). 649.

The only misleading thing about this bookis the title—the editors and authors won’tsuggest that you lock your child out of thehouse at 11:00 p.m. and keep him or her injail overnight. Instead, they present a kindbut firm approach to raising children fromkindergarten through college. The 18 expertshere provide their insights on everything from“Sex Ed for the Modern Parent” to “Goingwith the Technology Flow and Raising GoodDigital Citizens.” The editors have organizedthe content well and provide many tips aswell as helpful sample lists throughout. Useof personal stories keeps the book from feel-ing dry or academic. For readers who preferan interactive component, the book ties in totwo websites, toughLOVE.com and Mom.me. These websites invite readers to join a par-enting community, both online and throughlocal events. Loaded with practical parentingadvice from well-credentialed contributors,this is an excellent addition to public libraryparenting collections. —Joyce McIntosh

Health & Medicine

ADHD Nation: Children, Doctors, Big
Pharma, and the Making of an American
Epidemic.

Schwarz, a Pulitzer Prize–nominated investigative reporter for the New York Times who
wrote more than 100 articles about concussions in the NFL, leaves no stone unturned
as he documents the overdiagnosis of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. In fact, he
interviews more than 1,000 doctors, parents,
students, and researchers. Kids get pseudonyms to protect family relationships and
sometimes for legal reasons. Schwarz tries to
have fun when appropriate: one chapter title
is “Fidgety Phil’s Arithmetic Pills,” another is
“ADD for All.” But good guys are few and far
between. Students get diagnosed and are given Adderall to help them perform better, and
then they become hooked. Pharmaceutical
companies advertise heavily. “ADHD medications were hawked like any other consumer
product when the companies knew they were
anything but,” writes Schwarz. And teachers
wildly overestimate how many students have
ADHD. One questionnaire found that they
support an ADHD diagnosis in more than one
in five boys. This eye-opening book should be
a hit with drug-industry skeptics and worried
parents who want to read a well-reported,
definitive guide to this misunderstood and
overly medicated disorder. —Karen Springen

The Age of Longevity: Re-Imagining
Tomorrow for Our New Long Lives.

By Rosalind C. Barnett and Caryl Rivers.

Sept. 2016. 222p. Rowman & Littlefield, $35

(9781442255272). 610.

The Centers for Disease Control reports that
average life expectancy is at its highest ever—
about 81 years for women and 76 for men.

Of those Americans who reach the age of 65,one of four will live beyond 90. But this boostin longevity raises important questions: Howdo we maintain vigor and dampen physicaldecline? How can we best spend those extrayears? How will we adapt to changes in cultureand technology? Addressing the stage of lateadulthood, between ages 55 and 80, scientistBarnett and journalist Rivers, both recipientsof distinguished awards, believe that societymust rework its attitudes and timetables aboutseniors and rethink its institutions (education,career, marriage, parenting). They explore suchtopics as productivity, learning, creativity, sexu-ality, and medical advances (stem cells, tissueengineering, and nanotechnology). Age-relatedboundaries, they observe, are beginning to blur.The authors quote psychologist Ellen Langer,who counsels, “People are all too aware of theirlimits and not at all aware of their possibilities.”This optimistic book forecasts a future of flux,hope, and opportunity, a new world of longevity.—Tony Miksanek

The Art of Waiting: On Fertility,
Medicine, and Motherhood.

By Belle Boggs.

Sept. 2016. 242p. Graywolf, paper, $16
(9781555977498). 616.

Boggs’ (Mattaponi Queen, 2010) lyrical
look at the heartbreak of infertility, part
memoir and part essay collection, evolved
from the title piece, which appeared to powerful effect in Orion and Harper’s. Boggs
sensitively and creatively explores infertility,
the struggle to get pregnant, and the entire
concept of “waiting,” which leads her to literature and pop culture. She also tackles her
subject matter like a reporter, conducting
interviews and drawing on her extensive research into parenthood in the animal world
and medical interventions to coax Mother
Nature along. With an eye to helping others,
she also tucks in “selected resources,” such
as RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association; the Broken Brown Egg, an online
community for people of color; and the Pay
It Forward Fertility Foundation, a nonprofit
group giving financial help to couples who
could not otherwise afford IVF. “Waiting
is a part of life and can build appreciation
and wonder into the life you finally achieve,”
writes Boggs, now the mom of a daughter
born through IVF. “But you shouldn’t have
to wait forever.” Deeply thoughtful, beautiful, and illuminating. —Karen Springen

Hartwig is a co-creator of Whole30, a
program based on the elimination and reintroduction of potentially troublesome foods. This
is not a diet, according to the author, but a lifetime plan aimed at stopping cravings, healing
inflammation, and allowing eaters to savor and
enjoy food without guilt. There are three parts
to the plan: resetting (eliminating potentially
troublesome foods, then reintroducing them
systematically after 30 days), enjoying food free-